Rotary brush assembly for carpet sweepers



Dec. 29, 1959 H, L OP 2,918,687

ROTARY BRUSH ASSEMBLY FOR CARPET SWEEPERS Filed NOV. 25, 1956 IN V EN TOR.

A Tram/15x United States Patent ROTARY BRUSH ASSEMBLY FOR CARPET SWEEPERS Henry T. Lathrop, Grand Rapids, Mich., assign'or to Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application November 23, 1956, Serial No. 624,075

Claims. (CI. 15-41) This invention relates to improvements in carpet sweepers of the rotary brush type.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a carpet sweeper including a rotary brush in which the brush is rotatably mounted on pintles engaging axial bore-like bearings in the body of the brush in which the bearings do not become clogged by foreign matter resulting from the use of the sweeper.

Second, to provide a carpet sweeper having these characteristics and advantages in which the bristles of the brush extend closely adjacent to the ends of the brush.

Third, to provide a carpet sweeper embodying these advantages which may be very economically produced as to the particular features involved in the invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a sweeper embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section on a line corresponding to line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view on a line corresponding to line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view on a line corresponding to line 44 of Fig. 1 showing certain details of the relation of the brush to other parts of the sweeper.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in section on a line corresponding to line 55 of Fig. 2.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated comprises a casing designated generally by the numeral 1 and including relatively fixed end walls or members 2 and a bottom 3 having a brush opening 4 therein disposed transversely of the direction of movement of the sweeper in use. The portion 5 of the bottom constitutes a dustpan, the inner wall 6 of which is provided with a comb 7 at its upper edge. The portion 8 of the bottom is provided with an inner wall 9 which is generally conformed to the brush and terminates in a serrated edge 10.

The rotary brush comprises a cylindrical body portion 11 having reduced cylindrical end portions 12 having axial bore-like bearings 13 therein. These bearings are engaged by the pintles 131 which project through the end walls 2 being mounted on the springable supports 14.

The brush is provided with tufts or bristles 15 desirably spirally arranged, the bristles extending close to the ends of the brush. The brush is provided with a centrally disposed pulley 16 with which the front and rear casing supporting and driving wheels 17 and 18 coact. The details of mounting these wheels 17 and 18 are not illustrated, but they may desirably be that disclosed in the Williams et al. application for patent filed May 21, 1953, Serial No. 356,344, now Patent No. 2,793,378, issued May 28, 1957.

The reduced end portions of the brush body have transverse bores or holes 19 therein which intersect the bearing bores 13 at the inner ends of the pintles 131. The

2,918,687 Patented Dec. 29, 1959 ICC ends of the brush body member are in end thrust sup ported relation to the end walls.

In the embodiment illustrated the web portions 20 of the downwardly facing U-shaped guards 21 are disposed between the ends of the brush body member and the walls. The guards overhang the ends of the brush body member but do not overhang the bores or transverse openings 19. With this arrangement the hearings or bearing surfaces are not likely to become clogged by threads, hair, lint or the like. These transverse bores or holes 19 prevent accumulation of dirt and fluff which may work into bearings. The dirt and fluflt will work its way out of the bearing into the holes 19 and is discharged therefrom by the action of gravity and centrifugal force since the brush is commonly rotated at quite high speed as the sweeper is reciprocated. However, in the event the accumulated material is of such character that automatic discharge does not result the bores serve as clean-out openings and it is not necessary to disengage the brush from its hearings to remove any collected material. As is illustrated and described these transverse bores or holes 19 intersect the bearing bores at the inner ends of the pintles 131 so that any material, for example, dirt or dust or lint which may work into the hearings in operation of the sweeper is automatically worked into these transverse openings and normally is automatically discharged therefrom but in the event of accumulation, as stated, may be readily removed without disassembling the brush from its bearings.

The structure illustrated is desirably that of said abovementioned patent.

Only a portion of the handle is indicated at 22; the bumper 23 covers the pintle supports. The floor wheels 24 are disposed in recesses 25 provided therefor at the rear corners of the casing.

While I have illustrated my invention as embodied in a sweeper of the general type or structure of said application for patent, it should be understood that that is because of its being a commercial embodiment of my invention and that my invention is capable of Wide adaptation and embodiment in other carpet sweeper structures of the rotary brush type.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed to be new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of laterally spaced support members having inwardly projecting brush pintles thereon, and a rotatably driven brush including a body member having end portions of less diameter than its intermediate portion and having pintle bearings therein coacting with said pintles, the ends of the brush body member being in end thrust sustaining relation to said support members, said end portions having cleanout openings extending transversely therethrough and spaced from the outer ends thereof in intersecting relation to said pintle bearings inwardly of the inner ends of the pintles.

2. The combination of laterally spaced support members having inwardly projecting brush pintles thereon, a rotatably driven brush including an elongated body member having bore-like pintle bearings in the ends thereof into which said pintles project, the ends of the brush body member being in end thrust sustaining relation to said support members, said body member having transverse bearing cleanout bores extending therethrough in spaced relation to the outer ends thereof and intersecting said pintle bearings inwardly of the inner ends of the pintles, and guard members mounted on said support members to overhang end portions of the brush body member but not overhanging said transverse bores therein.

3. The combination of laterally spaced support members having inwardly projecting brush pint'les thereon, a rotatably driven brush including an elongated body mem- 3 ber having bore-like pintle bearings in the ends thereof into which said pintles project, the ends of the brush body member being in end thrust sustaining relation to said support members, said body member having transverse bearing cleanout bores extending therethrough in spaced relation to the outer ends thereof and intersecting said pintle bearings inwardly of the inner ends of the pintles.

4. The combination of laterally spaced support members having inwardly projecting brush pintles thereon, a rotatably driven brush including an elongated body member having pintle hearings in the ends thereof into which said pintles project, said body member having transverse bearing cleanout openings therethrough spaced inwardly from the outer ends thereof and intersecting said pintle bearings inwardly of the inner ends of the pintles, and guard members mounted on said support members to overhang end portions of the brush body member but not overhanging said transverse openings therein.

5. The combination of laterally spaced support members having inwardly projecting brush pintles thereon, a

rotatably driven brush including an elongated body mem ber having pintle bearings in the ends thereof into which said pintles project, said body member having transverse bearing cleanout openings therethrough spaced inwardly from the outer ends thereof and intersecting said pintle bearings inwardly of the inner ends of the pintles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 440,574 Merritt Nov. 11, 1890 961,442 Hartzell June 14, 1910 1,718,293 Hoover June 25, 1929 2,060,651 Allen Nov. 10, 1936 2,793,378 Williams May 28, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 366,609 Germany Jan. 5, 1923 1,096,318 France Jan. 26, 1955 

